Bethlem Museum - Hidden London The art and artefacts of ‘Bedlam’ Bethlem Royal Hospital Museum and Gallery, Beckenham Decorative plates made in the creative workshops at Bethlem Royal Hospital Most Londoners will be aware of the insti­tution that was the origin of the word ‘bedlam’ but few know that it has survived to the present day, albeit in a very different form and setting. The priory of St Mary of Bethlehem was founded outside Bishopsgate in 1247 and 130 years later it began to provide shelter and care for the mentally ill. When Henry VIII dissolved England’s religious orders and confiscated their properties he gave the priory buildings to the City as a place of incar­ceration (but very little treatment) for London’s lunatics. In 1675 a new hospital was built in Moorfields, where it gained notoriety through its policy of allowing those who could afford an admission fee to amuse themselves by wandering the halls and, quite literally, mocking the afflicted.

The insti­tution put its unsavoury past behind it and relocated to Lambeth in 1815, to the building that now houses the Imperial War Museum, and in 1930 it moved to its present site in the leafy suburb of Monks Orchard , which lies on the south side of Beckenham . The hospital’s museum possesses a magni­ficent collection of art, artefacts and archives relating to mental illness and the history of the Hospital of St Mary Bethlehem and its successors. However, its cramped accom­modation means that only a very limited selection can be displayed at any one time. Its most prized possessions, always on show, are the statues Raving Madness (shown below) and Melancholy, by Caius Gabriel Cibber (see also the statue of Charles II ), which were originally mounted on either side of the gateway to the Moorfields hopsital. The gallery contains a little miscellany of more recent art, mostly the work of the hospital’s residents and ex-​​residents. The paintings and drawings on display range from the whimsical to the discon­certing and sometimes downright distressing.

On a lighter note, there are Bedlam-​​branded souvenir items for sale – mugs, pencils and the like. The Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham BR3 3BX Phone: 020 ​3228 ​4227 Bethlem Royal Hospital - Asylum Projects Bethlem Royal Hospital Monks Orchard Rd Beckenham, London BR3 3BX, United Kingdom Architecture Style "Bedlam" Bethlem Hospital at St George's Fields, 1828 Bethlem Royal Hospital is an active hospital for the treatment of mental illness located in London, United Kingdom; and is currently owned and operated by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at the original location of its 1247 founding, it is recognized as Europe's first and oldest psychiatric institution. Bethlem has been accepting patients suffering from Insanity since the 14th century. The current hospital has been closely associated with King's College-London, and remains in partnership with the King's College-London Institute of Psychiatry. The hospital itself remains a major center for psychiatric, neurological and psychological research.

The current hospital includes a range of specialist psychiatric services, such as the National Psychosis Unit for the United Kingdom. Other services on the hospital grounds include: the Bethlem Adolescent, which provides care and treatment for young people aged 12–18 from across the country. Bethlem also has an occupational therapy department, which has its own art gallery displaying work of current patients, and a number of noted artists have been past patients at the hospital over the years. Several examples of their work can be found in the Bethlem museum. The word bedlam, meaning 'an uproar or confusion', is derived from the hospital's prior name. From the fourteenth century, Bethlem had been referred to colloquially as "Bedleheem", "Bedleem" or "Bedlam". Initially Bedlam functioned merely as an informal, alternative moniker for the institution but, from approximately the Jacobean era, it emerged as Bethlem's doppelgänger, detaching itself increasingly from the hospital, and entering everyday speech to signify a state of madness, chaos, and the irrational nature of the world. Although currently a modern psychiatric facility, historically it became representative historically of the worst excesses of asylum abuses and neglect.

In recent years the British government has attempted to reform the image of the site, and in 1997, celebrated in 750th anniversary as a public facility. The service user perspective was not to be included, however, and members of the Psychiatric survivors movement saw nothing to celebrate in either the original Bedlam or in current mental health care. A campaign called "Reclaim Bedlam" was launched by Pete Shaugnessey, which was supported by hundreds of patients and ex-patients and widely reported in the media. A sit-in was held outside the earlier Bedlam site at the Imperial War Museum. Despite this it remains a model for psychiatric care in both Britain and the Americas. Contents [ edit ] Foundation as a Catholic Priory: 1247-1330 Bedlem as it appeared in the 13th century Bethlem Royal Hospital's origins are unlike any other psychiatric hospital in the western world. As a formal organization, it can be traced to its foundation in 1247, during the reign King Henry III, as a Roman Catholic Monastery for the Priory of the 'New Order of St Mary of Bethlem' in the city of London proper.

It was established by the Italian Bishop of Bethlehem, Goffredo de Prefetti, following a donation of personal property by the London Alderman and former City-Sheriff, the Norman, Simon FitzMary. It bears its name after its primary patron and original overseer. The initial location of the priory was in the parish of Saint Botolph, in Bishopsgate's ward, just beyond London's wall and where the south-east corner of Liverpool Street station now stands. Bethlem was not initially intended as a hospital, much less as a specialist institution for the mentally ill. Rather, its purpose was tied to the function of the English Church; the ostensible purpose of the priory was to function as a centre for the collection of alms to support the Crusaders, and to link England to the Holy Land. Bishop De Prefetti's need to generate income for the Crusaders, and restore the financial fortunes of his apostolic see was occasioned by two misfortunes: his bishopric had suffered significant losses following the destructive conquest of the town of Bethlehem by the Khwarazmian Turks in 1244; and the immediate predecessor to his post had further impoverished his cathedral chapter through the alienation of a considerable amount of its property.

The new London priory, obedient to the Church of Bethlehem, would also house the poor, disabled and abandoned; and, if visited, provide hospitality to the Bishop, canons and brothers of Bethlehem. The subordination of the priory's religious order to the bishops of Bethlehem was further underlined in the foundational charter which stipulated that Bethlems's prior, canons and male and female inmates were to wear a star upon their cloaks and capes to symbolize their obeisance to the church of Bethlehem. [ edit ] Development as a Hospital: 1330-1546 An inmate at the Bethlem Asylum, circa 1500 During the 13th and 14th centuries, with its activities underwritten by episcopal and papal indulgences, Bethlem's role as a center for the collection of alms for the poor continued. However, over time, its link to the mendicant Order of Bethlehem increasingly devolved, putting its purpose and patronage in severe doubt.

In 1346 the Prior of Bethlem, a position at that time granted to the most senior of London's monastic brethren, applied to the city authorities seeking protection; thereafter metropolitan office-holders claimed power to oversee the appointment of prios, and demanded in return an annual payment of 40 shillings from the coffers of the order. It is doubtful whether the City of London ever provided substantial protection, and much less that the priorship fell within their patronage, but dating from the 1346 petition, it played a role in the management of Bethlem's organization and finances. By this time the crusader bishops of Bethlehem had relocated to Clamecy, France under the surety of the Avignon papacy. This was significant as, throughout the reign of King Edward III (1327–77), the English monarchy had extended its patronage over ecclesiastical positions through the seizure of alien priories, mainly French. These were religious institutions that were under the control of non-English religious houses.

As a dependent house of the Order of Saint Bethlehem in Clamecy, Bethlem was vulnerable to seizure by the English crown, and this occurred in the 1370s when Edward III took control of all English hospitals. The purpose of this appropriation was to prevent funds raised by the hospital from enriching the French monarchy, via the papal court, and thus supporting the French war effort. After this event, the Head Masters of the hospital, semi-autonomous figures in charge of its day-to-day management, were crown appointees, and Bethlem became an increasingly secularized institution. The memory of Bethlem's foundation became muddled. In 1381 the royal candidate for the post of master claimed that from its beginnings the hospital had been superintended by an order of knights, and he confused the identity of its founder, Goffredo de Prefetti, with that of the Frankish crusader, Godfrey de Bouillon, the King of Jerusalem. The removal of the last symbolic link to the mendicant order was confirmed in 1403 when it was reported that master and inmates no longer wore the symbol of their order, the star of Bethlehem.

This was exclusively a political move on the part of the hospital administrators, as the insane were perceived as unclean or possessed by daemons , and not permitted to resided on consecrated soil. From 1330 Bethlehm was routinely referred to as a "hospital" does not necessarily indicate a change in its primary role from alms collection – the word hospital could as likely have been used to denote a lodging for travellers, equivalent to a hostel, and would have been a perfectly apt term to describe an institution acting as a centre and providing accommodation for Bethlem's peregrinating alms-seekers or questores. It is unknown from what exact date it began to specialise in the care and control of the insane. Despite this fact it has been frequently asserted that Bethlem was first used for the insane from 1377. This rather precise date is derived from the unsubstantiated conjecture of the Reverend Edward Geoffrey O'Donoghue, chaplain to the hospital, who published a monograph on its history in 1914.

While it is possible that Bethlem was receiving the insane during the late fourteenth-century, the first definitive record of their presence in the hospital is provided from the details of a visitation of the Charity Commissioners in 1403. This recorded that amongst other patients then in the hospital there were six male inmates who were "mente capti", a Latin term indicating insanity. The report of the 1403 visitation also noted the presence of four pairs of manacles, eleven chains, six locks and two pairs of stocks although it is not clear if any or all of these items were for the restraint of the inmates. Thus, while mechanical restraint and solitary confinement are likely to have been used for those regarded as dangerous, little else is known of the actual treatment of the insane in Bethlem for much of the medieval period. The presence of a small number of insane patients in 1403 marks Bethlem's gradual transition from a diminutive general hospital into a specialist institution for the confinement of the insane; this process was largely completed by 1460.

[ edit ] Rise of Infamy: 1546-1634 In 1546, the Lord-Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned the crown to grant Bethlem to the city properly. This petition was partially successful, and King Henry VIII reluctantly ceded to the City of London "the custody, order and governance" of the hospital and of its "occupants and revenues". This charter came into effect in 1547. Under this formulation, the crown retained possession of the hospital, while its administration fell to the city authorities. Following a brief interval when Bethlem was placed under the management of the Governors of Christ's Hospital, from 1557 it was administered by the Governors of the city Bridewell, a prototype House of Correction at Blackfriars. Having been thus one of the few metropolitan hospitals to have survived the dissolution of the monasteries physically intact, this joint administration continued, not without interference by both the crown and city, until Bethlem's incorporation into the National Health Service (NHS) took place in 1948.

The position of master was a sinecure largely regarded by its occupants as means of profiting at the expense of the poor in their charge. The appointment of the early masters of the hospital, later known as keepers, had lain within the patronage of the crown until 1547. Thereafter, the city, through the Court of Aldermen, took control of these appointments where, as with the King's appointees, the office was used to reward loyal servants and friends. However, compared to the masters placed by the monarch, those who gained the position through the city were of much more modest status. Thus in 1561, the Lord Mayor succeeded in having his former porter, Richard Munnes, a draper by trade, appointed to the position. The sole qualifications of his successor in 1565 appears to have been his occupation as a grocer. The Bridewell Governors largely interpreted the role of keeper as that of a house-manager and this is clearly reflected in the occupations of most appointees during this period as they tended to be inn-keepers, victualers or brewers and the like. When patients were sent to Bethlem by the Governors of the Bridewell the keeper was paid from hospital funds.

For the remainder, keepers were paid either by the families and friends of inmates or by the parish authorities. It is possible that keepers negotiated their fees for these latter categories of patients. In 1598 the long-term keeper, Roland Sleford, a London cloth-maker, left his post, apparently of his own volition, after a nineteen-year tenure. Two months later, the Bridewell Governors, who had until then shown little interest in the management of Bethlem beyond the appointment of keepers, conducted an inspection of the hospital and a census of its inhabitants for the first time in over forty years. Their express purpose was to "to view and p[er]use the defaultes and want of rep[ar]ac[i]ons". They found that during the period of Sleford's keepership the hospital buildings had fallen into a deplorable condition with the roof caving in, the kitchen sink blocked up and reported that: "...it is not fitt for anye man to dwell in wch was left by the Keeper for that it is so loathsomly filthely kept not fitt for anye man to come into the sayd howse".

The 1598 committee of inspection found twenty-one inmates then resident with only two of these having been admitted during the previous twelve months. Of the remainder, six, at least, had been resident for a minimum of eight years and one inmate had been there for around twenty-five years. Three were from outside London, six were charitable cases paid for out of the hospital's resources, one was supported by a parochial authority, while the rest were provided for by family, friends, benefactors or, in one instance, out of their funds. The precise reason for the Governors' new-found interest in Bethlem is unknown but it may have been connected to the increased scrutiny the hospital was coming under with the passing of poor law legislation in 1598 and to the decision by the Governors to increase hospital revenues by opening it up to general visitors as a spectacle. After this inspection, the Bridewell Governors initiated some repairs and visited the hospital at more frequent intervals. During one such visit in 1607 they ordered the purchase of clothing and eating vessels for the inmates, presumably indicating the lack of such basic items.

[ edit ] List of the Priors/Masters Bethlem Hospital in 1557 Peter Mewtys: 1536-? Dr. Crooke: 17th century The seal of the priory of Saint Mary of Bethlem is said to have represented the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which was used by Bethlem Royal Hospital until 1948. [ edit ] Bethlem in the 20th century In 1930, the site of the hospital was moved to an outer suburb of London, on the site of Monks Orchard House between Eden Park, Beckenham, West Wickham and Shirley. This move to accomodate the need for psychiatric care is a more peaceful and rural environment. The old hospital site and its grounds were bought by Lord Rothermere and presented to the London County Council for use as a city park; the central part of the georgian styled building was retained as being of historic value, and became home to the 'Imperial War Museum in 1936'. With the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948, the Bethlem Royal Hospital and Maudsley Hospital were merged to form a postgraduate psychiatric teaching hospital.

The Maudsley’s medical school became the Institute of Psychiatry. [ edit ] Current Hospital: 1990 to present Bethlem Hospital as of 2012 In 1999, Bethlem Royal Hospital became part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (or "SLaM"), along with the Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell. Later, in 2001, SLaM sought planning permission for an expanded Medium Secure Unit in 2001 and extensive further works to improve security, much of which would be on Metropolitan Open Land. Local residents groups organised mass meetings to oppose the application, with accusations that it was unfair most patients could be from inner London areas and therefore not locals and that drug use was rife in and around the Hospital. Bromley Council eventually refused the application, with Croydon Council also objecting. However the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister overturned the decision to refuse in 2003, and development started. The new 89-bed, £33.5m unit (River House) opened in February 2008.

It is the most significant development on the site since the hospital was formally opened at Monks Orchard in 1930. River House represents a major improvement in the quality of local NHS care for people with mental health problems. The unit provides care for people who were previously being treated in hospitals as far as 200 miles away from their families because of the historic shortage of medium secure beds in South-east London. This, in turn, was intended to help the NHS to manage people's progress through care and treatment more effectively. The Hospital Trust still owns land throughout England, often left to it as a bequest. It owns a lease in Piccadilly for which it has paid the same peppercorn rent for over 200 years. This property is let out to shops and a hotel, which contributes to funding the hospital proper. [ edit ] National Psychosis Unit The National Psychosis Unit specialises in evidence-based treatment for people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other similar disorders, particularly where local treatment has been unsuccessful or only partially successful in relieving symptoms. Anyone receiving NHS treatment can access the service free of charge following a referral by the person’s psychiatrist or general practitioner.

The service provides second opinions on medication, diagnosis or any other aspect of care. The service has an outpatient clinic and 24-bedded inpatient facility. As well as pharmaceutical treatments, there is a strong focus on psychological treatments, rehabilitation and recovery, and reducing the risk of readmission through exploring what has led to breakdowns in the past and how to avoid this happening in future. The Unit also hosts research into the treatment of psychosis, including clinical trials of new treatments for psychosis. The National Psychosis Carers' Group, which meets monthly, supports the carers and families of people with psychosis and allows them a forum for discussion. The National Psychosis Unit has strong links with the Department of Psychosis Studies at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. The Unit also has longstanding links with mental health charities, including Rethink and SANE. [ edit ] Institute of Psychiatry The Institute of Psychiatry (IOP) is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and neurological diseases of the brain. In addition, its modern aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place. The IOP is a school of King's College- London, England.

The Institute works closely with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Many senior academic staff also work as honorary consultants in clinical services for the National Psychosis Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital. [ edit ] Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum Exhibition at Bethlem Museum Since 1970, there has been a small museum at Bethlem Royal Hospital, which is open to the public on weekdays. The museum is mainly used to display items from the hospital's art collection, which specialises in work by artists who have suffered from various mental health issues, such as former Bethlem patients William Kurelek, Richard Dadd and Louis Wain. Other exhibits include a pair of statues by Caius Gabriel Cibber known as Raving and Melancholy Madness, from the gates of the 17th century Bethlem Hospital. 18th and 19th century furniture, and documents from the medical archives are also on display. However, due to the size of the museum only a small fraction of the collections can be displayed at one time, and the exhibits are rotated periodically for public view.

Bethlem Royal Hospital also possesses extensive archives from the Maudsley Hospital and Warlingham Park Hospital , all in South London, and some of the archives of Bridewell Hospital. There are documents dating back to the 16th century, as well as full modern patient records (although these are not open to publiv viewing). The archives are open for inspection by appointment, and are subject to the laws of confidentiality governing recent patient records. The Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum is governed by a registered charity called the Bethlem Art and History Collections Trust. The museum is a member of the larger collaboration of the 'London Museums of Health & Medicine'. [ edit ] Tom O'Bedlem Edgar as Tom O'Bedlam "Tom O' Bedlam" is the name of renown anonymous poem written in the 17th century about an inmate at Bethlem. It was first published in 1720 by Thomas d'Urfey in his 'Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy'. The term "Tom O' Bedlam" was used in Early Modern England, as well as following, to describe beggars and vagrants who had or feigned Insanity for alms.

This practice is similar to that of the English Abraham-men . They claimed, or were assumed, to have been former inmates at the Bethlem Royal Hospital, who had been released and now composed the insane poor of the city. It was commonly thought that inmates were released with authority to make their way by begging, though this is probably untrue. If it happened at all the numbers were certainly small, though there were probably large numbers of mentally ill travelers who turned to begging, but had never been near Bedlam. It was adopted as a technique of begging, or a character. For example, Edgar in King Lear disguises himself as mad "Tom O'Bedlam".

It was a popular enough ballad that another poem was written in reply, "Mad Maudlin's Search" or "Mad Maudlin's Search for Her Tom of Bedlam" (the same Maud who was mentioned in the verse "With a thought I took for Maudlin / And a cruise of cockle pottage / With a thing thus tall, Sky bless you all / I befell into this dotage." which apparently records Tom going mad, "dotage") or "Bedlam Boys" (from the chorus, "Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys / Bedlam boys are bonny / For they all go bare and they live by the air / And they want no drink or money."). [ edit ] Images of Bethlem Royal Hospital Main Image Gallery: Bethlem Royal Hospital Bedlam1.jpg The Imperial War Museum, London (previously the Royal Bethlehem Hospital, or "Bedlam"), additions by Sydney Smirke (Previously the Royal Bethlehem Hospital, or "Bedlam") James Lewis, 1815 Important additions by Sydney Smirke, 1835-1846.

Lambeth Road, London Photograph and text 2008 by Jacqueline Banerjee [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.] The original building on this site was designed by James Lewis, the hospital surveyor for the old Bethlehem Royal Hospital at Moorfields. However, his design was based on prize-winning plans submitted by other architects, the best of which were by John Gandy (later known as John Deering). The asylum was completed in 1815, but soon proved inadequate. After the initial transfer of 122 patients, blocks were added in the very next year for the criminally insane. The building was greatly enlarged by Sydney Smirke from 1835 onwards. Smirke provided wings on either side (since demolished) and galleried blocks at the rear; he also enlarged the original low cupola into a tall copper-covered dome, mainly, it seems, to help extend the space in the chapel beneath it.

Smirke is sometimes said to have added the imposing portico as well (e.g., see Weinreb and Hibbert, 62); but Gandy had proposed a "pediment supported by six Doric columns" (Darlington): it is the type of structure to be seen at University College London , for which he also submitted plans, and on which he worked with William Wilkins. The portico can be seen on Thomas Shepherd's steel engraving of the Royal Bethlehem Hospital in 1828, long before Smirke started work on the building. Sadly, A.W. N. Pugin, who designed St George's Roman Catholic Cathedral diagonally opposite the hospital building, was confined here for a while in 1852 — though he was later moved, and died at home in Ramsgate later that year. In Ida Darlington's chapter on this building, the tall dome is criticised; but it is a familiar landmark in this part of London. The chapter concludes with a brief history of the building's later use: The central portion of the front, with the dome looking disproportionately high above it, and the rear galleries were leased to the Commissioners of Works to house the Imperial War Museum.

The building, which was opened to the public in 1936, was damaged considerably by bombs in 1940, 1941, and 1944, but by 1946 was sufficiently repaired for the museum to be re-opened. It is perhaps appropriate that a building occupied for so many years by men and women of unsound mind should now be used to house exhibits of that major insanity of our own time, war. Sadly again, the comment on the building's appropriateness for its present purpose is still timely. Note Bethlem Royal Hospital | Guts and Gore Contact us Bethlem Royal Hospital Bethlem Royal Hospital was first built in 1247 as the Priory of the New Order of St Mary of Bethlem in Bishopsgate, London. It was not initially an asylum for the insane, but a centre for the collection of alms to aid the Crusader Church. The first record found of mentally ill patients in the hospital was in the early 15th century, when a group of six ‘mad folk’ were admitted.

Since then, the hospital has moved location four times, had the term ‘Bedlam’ coined after its depravities, and remains Europe’s oldest extant psychiatric institution. First Building Bishopsgate – Liverpool Street Station currently stands in its place 1247-1667 The building was centred around a courtyard with a chapel in the middle. It had 12 cells for patients, staff accommodation, and a small exercise yard. The compact building covered two acres, and was built over a sewer, which served the hospital and the immediate buildings around it. The drain would often become blocked, resulting in overflows of waste invading the main entrance. The building was gradually expanded throughout the years, and by 1667 it was able to accommodate 59 patients. The hospital was the property of the Church for the first hundred years of its existence, and was managed by monks who were dedicated to healing the paupers of London. Gradually, monks began taking in ‘mad folk’ of the city, who had no friends or family willing to look after them.

Whilst many patients were mentally ill and had conditions which we now know as paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, others suffered conditions such as ‘falling sickness’ (epilepsy), anxiety, and learning disabilities. Despite the clear differences in symptoms, the patients were mixed together and all given the same course of treatment, although some patients required more treatment than others. The monks dealt out a strict regime of daily punishments and religious devotion for the patients, combined with a bland, vegetable free diet to ensure the spirit/ illness would not be fed. Inventories found dating back to this period show manacles, chains, locks and stocks, as it was believed that shock, punishment and isolation were the ultimate cure for madness and would help the patient ‘come to their senses.’ Edward III took control of the hospital in 1370, and replaced the monks in charge with semi-autonomous figures and crown appointees. The leaders of the hospital became known as ‘keepers’, and the vast majority of them had no experience of running a hospital or caring for the ‘mad folk.’ The reputation of the hospital was diminishing rapidly, and rumours of neglect and embezzlement began to circle among the general public.

In 1403, the hospital treasurer, Peter Taverner was found guilty of embezzlement and theft of hospital property, proving that the new secularised institution was corrupt from within. The hospital changed hands once again in 1546 when the Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned to have Bethlem granted to the city. The ruling monarch, Henry VIII declared that whilst the Crown would retain possession of the hospital, the City of London would be in charge of its administration. The running of the hospital was passed to the Governors of Bridewell, and they appointed keepers to take charge of the ‘mad folk.’ Roland Sleford resigned from his role of ‘keeper’ in 1598, after his two decade reign over the hospital. After his departure, the Governors of Bridewell performed an inspection of Bethlem to ensure it was ready for public visiting.

However, they soon realised that it was in a serious state of disrepair: “It is not fit for any man to dwell in which was left by the keeper, for that it is so loathsomely filthily kept that it is not fit for any man to come into the sad house.” The committee found 21 resident inmates, the majority of whom had been locked up for over eight years. One inmate had been there for over twenty years, and was in a dire need of medical attention. With support from the current ruling monarch, James I, Helkiah Crooke was brought in as the replacement keeper, to ensure the hospital was well managed and its patients cared for. Unfortunately, this keeper was no different to his predecessors, as he embezzled and stole from the hospital and the patients. Goods were sent to Bethlem as charitable donations for the ‘mad folk’ and consisted of food packages, clothing and bedding. Crooke’s Steward seized them for himself and sold what he did not want to the inmates. Those who had no resources to buy or trade from him were left to starve. Crooke’s career ended when King James I died.

The new monarch, Charles I demanded an inspection of the hospital in 1631, and after the findings that most patients were ‘likely to starve’ an investigation was launched. Crooke and his Steward were both fired in 1633 after they were found guilty of embezzlement, neglect and theft. Helkiah Crooke was the final keeper ever hired in Bethlem, as after his disastrous tenure, a new system was brought in. As opposed to one man ruling the hospital and his staff, a new three tiered medical regime stood in its place, consisting of a physician, a visiting surgeon and an apothecary (pharmacist.) The new system improved conditions at Bethlem, and by the 1650’s, the hospital was gaining in popularity.

Due to severe over crowing in 1664, the Governors decided that a new hospital must be built: “The hospital house of Bethlem is very old, weak, ruinous and too small and straight for keeping the greater number of lunatics therein at present.” Robert Hooke, the city surveyor was hired to design the new hospital at a site in Moorfields, and the doors on the first Bethlem closed for the final time in 1667, just one year after it survived the Great Fire of London. Second Building Moorfields, designed by Robert Hooke 1667-1815 Unlike the first building, the Bethlem hospital at Moorfields was lavishly designed. The people of London stood back and admired its luxurious size and attention to detail. It quickly became labelled as the ‘Palace for lunatics’ and after 13 years, it opened its doors to the general public as a tourist attraction. However, during these years, it became clear that despite its luxurious size and structure, the treatment of the patients was no better than the previous building. Patients were treated like prisoners and were subjected to a wide range of cruel and neglectful conditions.

The majority of the patients were simply locked away and left to their own devices, being given the bare minimum of food and water. When Bethlem opened its doors to the tourism industry, many patients were so starved of food and attention that they were grateful for any human interaction they were allowed to have. Visitors from all social classes came to stare and interact with the mad folk, offering them pennies to sing and dance for them. Opening up Bethlem to the general public also served as a warning to society: this is what will happen to you if you indulge in lust, greed or passion. Visitors walked through the ‘Penny Gates’ upon entry, which consisted of two statue gypsies wearing the Bethlem uniform. It cost two pennies to pass through the gates, which were placed in the money pots held by the statues. The visitors were not given unlimited access, but they were allowed unsupervised access to the patients deemed suitable to be put on display. Whilst many patients did not object to the spectators, there were also patients who were forced on display against their own consent. For these patients, the sense of shame and embarrassment flooded their days at Bethlem, making their mental conditions even worse, and thus extending their stay at the mental asylum.

Visitors were allowed to drink alcohol and mingle freely with the permitted patients, making Bethlem more of a public house than a place for respite and care. The governors of Bethlem attempted to attract visitors from high social classes, but as the years passed, it became increasingly popular with the lower classes. Public holidays such as Easter became dreaded events which attracted thugs and hooligans, and inevitably turned into riots and chaos. Bethlem fascinated many people, especially writers and artists who would visit the building for inspiration. Ned Ward, a writer for the ‘London Spy’, described Bethlem as “a dry wart for loiterers, a promenade of rogues.” Whilst interviewing a patient, Ward voiced his disdain for the language his interviewee was using. In response, the patient explained that it was only in asylums such as Bethlem where freedom of speech was actually applied. Within those walls, the patients could say what ever they wished, without facing consequences, unlike people on the outside, such as Ward. He went on to say that perhaps only true freedom lies behind bars, and this not only disturbed Ward, but the general public who read his published article.

After 90 years on display, Bethlem finally closed its doors on the public and became one of the most isolated and secretive asylums in Europe. In 1795, John Haslam took over the management of Bethlem, and brought in a new way of dealing with the mentally ill. He claimed that instead of simply locking them away, there was in fact a cure to madness, and he was on the path to finding it, but it would only occur once his will had been entirely imposed upon the patient. Using fear and intimidation, Haslam broke the will of his patients, often beating them into submission until they behaved in a manner which he deemed appropriate. He believed that the mentally ill were all cunning and violent, and a mastery needed to be set in place over the patient in order for them to become obedient. Many techniques were used in Bethlem to install fear into the patients, including cold bathing (hydrotherapy) and rotation therapy (the swing). When patients misbehaved, they were threatened with the chair, and this usually silenced them. However, on the occasions where the threat did not work, patients were subjected to either one of the two therapies.

Haslam hired Bryan Crowther as chief surgeon, who was initially hired to attend to injuries and ailments of the patients. However, he expanded his job description somewhat when he began dissecting deceased patients brains in the mortuary. Whilst this was the beginning of legitimate pathology, Crowther’s experiments were at the time illegal and considered a heinous act. He was not caught until 1815, and spent two decades dissecting the brains of his patients at will. A year after Haslam’s move to Bethlem, in 1796, a young businessman and father was admitted to the asylum. James Tilly Matthews was sent to Bethlem after interrupting a debate in the House of Commons, in which he accused the Home Secretary of treason. Britain had been at war with France for three years, and Matthews insisted that he had been sent to France as a double agent for the British government. Now that he had returned, the British government were denying all knowledge of his mission and were effectively ‘washing their hands of him.’ He was sent to Bethlem 10 days after his outburst, and was never released, despite numerous efforts by his family and their doctors.

Haslam wrote a book entitled ‘Illustrations of Madness,’ which was the first complete psychiatric study of a patient in medical history. It focused on James Tilly Matthews in great detail, displaying all of his symptoms and delusions, including a device Matthews called The Air Loom. He claimed that it was a device created to control his mind through the use of powerful beams of magnetic rays, and was operated by a gang of French agents. Haslam displayed a detailed diagram of the Air Loom in his study, showing the imagination and artistic capabilities of his subject. Haslam gave Matthews certain privileges, such as giving him a pen and paper, and allowing him to work in the garden. In 1814, philanthropist Edward Wakefield paid a visit to Bethlem asylum which uncovered the secrets kept by Haslam and his staff. Wakefield walked through the male wards and was shocked by the conditions in which they were kept. He saw men chained to the walls by their feet, completely naked and severely under fed. The worst case he described was a patient named James Norris, who had been a former marine. He was wearing a metal harness with chains coming from it.

The chains went through holes in his wall into another room which was operated by a member of staff. When they wanted to punish him, they would pull on the chains, which would slam his body into the wall. Wakefield demanded to know how long Norris had been wearing the harness, and Haslam replied with the answer of “between nine to twelve years.” Appalled, Wakefield brought in an artist to draw the conditions that Norris was kept in, and this was published in the newspaper the following day. The sensational findings outraged the public, forcing an official investigation into the treatments upheld at Bethlem. A huge inquiry was held in the following months, and at that point it was the largest inquiry into ‘madhouses’ ever to have been created. Haslam was called to give evidence, and was questioned on his treatment of patients, particularly James Norris. Haslam pointed the finger of blame in the direction of his chief surgeon, who was performing autopsies at will, was an alcoholic and was, as labelled by Haslam ‘insane.’ Both men were relieved of their duties, and a drastic change in the treatment of the mentally ill began. As the building had been slowly subsiding into the ground over the past decade, a new build was proposed.

The governors of Bethlem held a public competition to find the best design to be used. Many people submitted their plans for the new asylum, including long-term resident, James Tilly Matthews. Although his design did not win, many of his ideas were implemented into the new building, including his long windows and circular lawn at the front entrance. He was awarded £50 for his efforts, but did not live long enough to see the new building completed. He died from tuberculosis just months before the move. Third Building Lambeth, St George’s Fields. Bought by Lord Rothermere in 1930, and became Imperial War Museum. 1815-1930 The patients at Moorfields were transferred to St George’s Fields by a concession of Hackney coaches in the summer of 1815, but their new place of residence was not quite what they expected. The windows in the upper stories were unglazed, and the heating system did not function, which meant that the sleeping cells were exposed to the cold air and the basement galleries were damp.

Although glass was placed in windows the following year, the Governors still agreed that leaving the unglazed was necessary to prevent “the disagreeable effluvias peculiar to all madhouses.” The new build attracted many new patients, and the hospital once again became quickly overcrowded. A series of new buildings were added, including a criminal wing, extensions on the east and west wings and the dome, creating space for an additional 196 patients in total. In 1852, ‘mad doctor’ William Hood was hired as the first ever Resident Physician at Bethlem, and with him he brought a refreshingly new regime. As opposed to the heavy use of manacles and chains, Hood introduced methods of non restraint. He did not punish his patients for their illness, but rather gave them peace, tranquillity and games, including bowls and skittles. The women’s ward was filled with soothing paintings, magazines and craft activities, and the idealistic notion of pastoral care became a reality. Rehabilitation was fundamental in Hood’s treatment of his patients, and among other methods, he held monthly balls or dances.

It was during the ‘Bedlam balls’ that visitors were allowed in to mingle freely with the patients, creating a situation where the doctors, nurses, patients and visitors all looked alike, making it impossible to tell who was mad and who was sane. Throughout the years, Bethlem has often operated in secrecy, locking patients away for decades at a time without any form of care or compassion. Patients starved within the walls of Bethlem at the hands of their ‘keepers’, or physicians. Hood was somewhat different to his predecessors, and stated there will be no attempt “to hide either from the lay or medical mind, anything which was being done from within its walls.” Broadmoor Hospital for the Criminally Insane opened in 1863, and the violent or aggressive patients of Bethlem were removed and sent to Broadmoor instead. This diverted attention away from Bethlem, and produced a quieter and safer environment for the patients who still resided there. Patients remained at St George’s Fields until after the World War I, when the Governors decided to build a new hospital in a rural location. The removal to Monks Orchard at Addington in Surrey was sanctioned by Act of Parliament in 1926.

Fourth Building Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham 1930-Present In 1930, Bethlem hospital moved for the fourth time to Beckenham, where it is still in operation today. The lush country settings and serene silence provided by the new location, it was thought, would appeal to the middle-class patients who could afford to pay for their care. The wards were designed to create a comfortable and homely environment, with fine furniture and thick, warm carpets. A ‘free list’ was created, which provided care to those who could not afford to pay for their own care. The days of chaining patients to walls, or forcing them to sleep on straw in dungeon like cells, were over by the time of the fourth move, but by this point other ‘treatments’ were in practice. The ECT was first developed in 1935, and evidence shows that by the 1940’s, Bethlem had joined in with the rest of the world. Other common treatments, such as chemical seizures and the lobotomy were also used at Bethlem.

The NHS was developed shortly after the World War II, in 1948 to provide free health care to all, regardless of wealth or social status. It was the first time that health care had been made free anywhere in the world, and in July that year, all hospitals, doctors, pharmacists and dentists were brought together under the NHS band. This included Bethlem, and it paired up with Maudsley Hospital (another hospital for the mentally ill in South London) to provide a community-based service. Previously to this development, Bethlem Hospital received patients from different places around the UK, which meant that rehabilitation and after-care could not be followed up for any patient. When they were released from Bethlem, their health care ended, and this was not appropriate for many patients, who had still not recovered from their illness.

A small museum was opened in Bethlem Hospital in 1970, which contains artwork from former patients and other exhibits, such as documents from the archives and a pair of statues by Caius Gabriel Cibber called ‘Raving’ and ‘Melancholy Madness.’ These lifelike human statues were said to be modelled on two former Bethlem patients, one of whom was Oliver Cromwell’s porter, Daniel and were once situated on the gates of the second Bethlem building at Moorfields. This museum is open to the pubic on weekdays, but due to its small size, only a small portion of the Bethlem collections can be displayed at one time. In 1999, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) was formed following the reconfiguration of community and mental health services in south east London. South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) was formed from the merger of three main organisations: Bethlem and Maudsley, Lambeth Healthcare and Lewisham, and Guy’s NHS Trusts.

The Trust was created to provide mental health services and substance misuse services in the London Boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, as well as specialist treatment to people from across the UK. A new building was commissioned in 2003 to be erected at Bethelm Royal hospital, despite protests from local residents who claimed the hospital already attracted too many drug users. Named ‘River House,’ the new building opened in February 2008 and provided an extra 89 beds for new patients, allowing them to be treated in their home town as opposed to being sent up to 200 miles away.

Current psychiatric services at Bethlem: Adolescent Unit; Affective Disorder Unit, Alex 2; Alcohol Unit, Alex 1; Alex Ground Ward; Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit: Behavioural Disorders Unit; Behavioural Genetics Clinic; Chelsham House Inpatient Unit; Children’s In-patient Service; Clinical Exercise and Physical Activity; Crisis Recovery Unit; Eating Disorder Unit; Eating Disorders Day Care; Gresham 1 and 2 Ward; Gresham ICU; Medication Review Clinic; Mental Impairment Evaluation & Treatment Services; Mother and Baby Unit; Outreach Services; Psychosis Unit; River House (Brook Ward, Chaffinch Ward, Norbury Ward, Spring Ward, Thames Ward, The Beck, Waddon Ward); Wickham Park House. Notable Patients throughout History Augustus Pugin – An English Architect best known for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival style and his designs for the interior of the Palace of Westminster. In 1852 he suffered a complete breakdown, resulting in a four month stay at Bethlem Hospital. Located at St George’s fields, the hospital overlooked St George’s Cathedral, the building designed by Pugin himself, and where he married his wife in 1848.

Bannister Truelock – He was a shoemaker who prophesied the second coming of Christ. In 1800 he was sent to Bethlem after conspiring to assassinate George III alongside James Hadfield. Daniel M’Naghten – The catalyst for the creation of the M’Naghten Rules (criteria for the defence of insanity in the British legal system.) Edward Oxford – He was tried for high treason after he attempted the assassination of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840. He tried to shoot the pair just outside of Buckingham Palace, but missed and was apprehended immediately. Hannah Snell – Dressed as a man and became a soldier in 1747. She revealed her gender and was discharged from the military, but was granted a pension in 1750, a rare occurrence for women of her era. James Norris – A former marine who was found by Edward Wakefield chained to the walls by a harness. He had been kept in this condition for 9-12 years and was the trigger for the largest mental health inquiry of its time.

James Tilly Matthews – The subject for the first complete case study, compiled by John Haslam named ‘Illustrations of Madness.’ The case study contained detailed diagrams created by Matthews of the Air Loom, a device which he believed was controlling his mind. Much debate exists as to whether Matthews was insane, or if their actually was a conspiracy to keep him locked up. However, the symptoms described by Haslam indicate that Matthews was suffering from what is now known as paranoid schizophrenia. John Frith – On 21 January 1790, Frith threw a stone at King George III’s coach as it travelled to the State Opening of Parliament. He was tried for treason, but sent to Bethlem on grounds of insanity as he believed his “Christ-like powers” had helped him to defeat the voices in his ear. Jonathan Martin – Was an English arsonist who burned down the York Minster in 1829. Although he was found guilty, which would result in being hanged, the Judge declared him not guilty on grounds of insanity. He was sent to Bethlem where he lived until his death in 1838.

Louis Wain – Once an art journalist, Wain became famous for his own art work, primarily focussed on cats. From the 1880’s until WWI, the Louis Wain cat was extremely popular and appeared on greeting cards, and in books, magazines and annuals. In 1924, he was certified insane, and spent the rest of his life in mental hospitals, including Bethlem Margaret Nicolson – A woman who (incorrectly) believed that she was the rightful heir to the throne and tried to assassinate King George III with a dessert knife. She became the star attraction at Bethlem, and rich members of the public paid high prices to see her. She became the subject to much gossip was was eventually deemed as Bedlam royalty. Mary Frith – Also known as “The Roaring Girl”and Moll (or Mal) Cutpurse, she was a notorious pickpocket and thief in London who dressed in male attire throughout her long life. She once appeared on stage at the Fortune Theatre in male clothing and played the Lute. In a society such as the Early Modern era, Frith was considered both scandalous and insane.

Nathanial Lee – A playwright with a considerable reputation, Lee spent five years in Bedlam. He was released, but died in a drunken fit shortly afterwards in 1692. His most famous quote regarding Bedlam is still widely known today: “They called me mad, and I called them mad, and damn them, they outvoted me.” Richard Dadd – Dadd resided in the criminal wing of Bethlem after he murdered his father. A talented painter, he was given materials and was allowed to develop his art. His paintings are today recognised as masterpieces, and he is recognised as an accomplished artist, despite his murderous tenancies. After spending 20 years at Bethlem, he was evenutally transferred to Broadmoor Hospital . Recent News St Bethlehem Burial Ground. 1560-1750 (Rough approximations) This summer, the construction of a new ticket hall at Liverpool Street Station has begun as part of the Cross-rail project in the country’s capital. During the digging process, constructors discovered a section of the St Bethlehem churchyard, exposing multitudes of skeletons.

The museum of London Archaeology took over the site and have began the process of exhuming the bodies and identifying as much information from them as possible. The churchyard was founded in the 1560’s in the former plot of the Bethlem Hospital vegetable patch. According to Current Archaeology editor, Matthew Symonds: “requisitioning St Bethlehem’s vegetable plot was an essential element of a scheme to relieve the city centre graveyards, and provide new space for London’s, not the asylum’s, dead. Once established, the extent to which patients were interred in the cemetery is still unclear.” The patients at Bethlem Hospital came from all over the UK, not just from the capital. When they died, it was common practice for Bethlem to send the patient’s body back to their home town, not to bury them on site. It is possible that a small portion of the bodies do belong to the ‘tortured souls of bedlam inmates’, but archaeologists are still unable to confirm any such evidence. Findings The study of the St Bethlehem skeletons remains ongoing, but substantial findings have provided a wealth of information regarding London’s dead. The graveyard was founded to supply additional space for the already existing cemeteries in London.

They were drastically overcrowded, and findings of the St Bethlehem churchyard indicate that this burial ground was no different. Bodies were found pressed on top of each other with approximately two meters of earth between each other in either cheap coffins or shrouds. Illnesses and injuries common to the era in London have been found on the Bethlem bodies, such as rickets and syphilis. Further study will provide additional information, and we will update this article when necessary.

Question: Which museum stands on the site of the Royal Bethlehem, (or Bedlam), hospital in London?
Answer: IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM